sidemount rescue techniques ...

[FWADIVER]

true, but you'd need to get to their inflator to keep them afloat on the surface. also, in certain cases you may need to add air to the wing to help start the ascent.

you can start the ascent with your lungs typically if everyone started off neutral, you can just grab it once at the surface, keeping the reg in their mount is not as critical then...

 

[spatman]

you can start the ascent with your lungs typically if everyone started off neutral, you can just grab it once at the surface, keeping the reg in their mount is not as critical then...

i don't believe there is a "typical" rescue scenario. no two events that require a rescue ascent will be exactly the same, and we should be training for worst case scenarios.

an unresponsive or panicked diver is highly unlikely to have neutral buoyancy. furthermore, lung volume alone will not always be enough to raise a negatively buoyant diver. maybe if the victim is in a thin wetsuit, minimal lead weights, and aluminum tanks, it could be possible.

but in my rescue class (taught by NWGratefulDiver), we had to simulate a rescue of an unconscious diver who was about 6'4", wearing doubled hp100s, drysuit and all appropriate weighting and gear. there is no way i could have raised him off the floor without the aid of a wing inflator.

 

[FWADIVER]

then you can give them a shot to start them up and continue to control with the shoulder dump... you are being pretty inflexible, i can say i do not have any 'rescue diver' training, but spent enough years as a lifeguard and water safety instructor to know that it doesnt matter what you practice or learnt, you need to be able to adapt and think critically when it comes to saving people.

 

[spatman]

then you can give them a shot to start them up and continue to control with the shoulder dump...

if you go back and read what i wrote in post #8, the point that i was making is that in certain SM cases, reaching that inflator for "the shot" is problematic.

you are being pretty inflexible, i can say i do not have any 'rescue diver' training, but spent enough years as a lifeguard and water safety instructor to know that it doesnt matter what you practice or learnt, you need to be able to adapt and think critically when it comes to saving people.

i am not disputing the need to adapt to the situation, which is why i stated that there is no "typical" rescue scenario. but having skills that are practiced in a scuba rescue class with worst-case scenarios in mind will provide the rescuer tools to use in the event of an emergency that your lifeguard training may not.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

then you can give them a shot to start them up and continue to control with the shoulder dump... you are being pretty inflexible, i can say i do not have any 'rescue diver' training, but spent enough years as a lifeguard and water safety instructor to know that it doesnt matter what you practice or learnt, you need to be able to adapt and think critically when it comes to saving people.

Every rescue situation is going to require some degree of adaptation ... there's just too many variables to know how to prepare for them all. However, you do need some foundational knowledge and skill to avoid pitfalls such as surfacing too rapidly or placing yourself into a situation where a distressed diver can potentially do something harmful to you while you're trying to help them. The basis for rescue class is as much learning how to avoid a bad situation as it is how to deal with one. Where I believe specific sidemount knowledge would prove valuable is in terms of identifying these potential pitfalls and developing ways to prevent them from becoming bigger issues as you deal with the diver you're trying to assist.

In a real-time rescue scenario, you may not have time for critical thinking ... or the stresses of a real-time incident may make it impossible to do so. There's a serious difference between decision-making from the safety of a classroom or keyboard vs that of dealing with a diver who is either unresponsive or way too damn responsive ... and in both cases, time to the surface or to a place where CPR can begin may be a critical factor.

This is why I think the topic needs to be examined ... and if beneficial techniques can be developed, they should be taught. With sidemount diving becoming increasingly popular, it's only a matter of time until someone will be called upon to assist a sidemount diver in a recreational, OW situation. Personally, I'd rather be prepared with some knowledge of how to respond than counting on my ability to figure it out on the fly ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Jax]

I am on the next to the last day of USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber Emergency Response Diver Course.

I wore my Nomad XT sidemount rig to find out how the rescuers would handle the gear. It turns out that if the rescuer 'feels' for the inflator, they find it about where they expect it to be, and operate the inflator buttons. It doesn't matter that [-]it[/-] the other end is located on the bottom of the wing.

However, on gear removal, it got a little iffy. While I had pointed to and stated the four disconnect points on my Nomad XT (chest quick disconnect, two shoulder strap quick disconnects, and the waist-crotch buckle), my rescuer could not ascertain them in the water.

LESSON LEARNED: you must explain your gear to your buddy, specifically pointing out the buckles for removal.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The inflator issue is being overthought. If a diver has done the "Sorenson Swap" on their Dive Rite Nomad, the inflator itself is still if anything a little higher and even easier to reach. Plus it is most likely attached by a bungee loop near the left shoulder d-ring, so it's actually easier to reach to initiate the ascent.

Once the diver is on the way up, you can control the ascent with the shoulder dump valve via either the pull dump knob on the shoulder strap or using the string itself on the dump valve. I'd argue it's actually easier than using the inflator as it presents no need to hold it continuously.

On the surface an SM rig is much more stable, especially if you unclip the tanks from the towel bars. And, if needed you can quickly remove the tanks entirely while leaving the wing in place making the diver much more streamlined for towing while maintaining lots of buoyancy. With the harness in place the diver is also very easy to remove from the water quickly under less than ideal conditions.

There is nothing not to like about it other than it's different than what you experienced in training.

Locking a single tank between your knees to control a panicked diver is just an adaptation of what a lifeguard is trained to do. It does not work all that well in doubles where it sometimesworks better to lock you knees around there hips and/or control them with the manifold. A sidemount harness for the most part offers similar hip and harness options.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Larry, I think you may have taken the wrong message from Jax's post. It's not inflating and deflating that was an issue for her. It was the location of the releases. This is interesting because most releases are located in the same place on all BCs. The issue I have found when I teach Rescue in sidemount is when people secure their inflator hose (coming off the bottom as was originally done with the Armadillo) to the chest strap. You undo the shoulder straps, but this will still require you to either cut the chest strap or pull the arm through the loop it forms. Same goes for bungees. They either need to be cut or the arms need to be pulled through. Simply undoing the clips on the shoulder straps (for those of you that have clips) will not be enough to allow the rig to fall away.

 

[CamG]

Bob "Grateful Diver" this is a great thread!
You are very astute in that sooner or later rescue REC SM will need to be addressed.
It is more case specific with different rigs but very relevant when teaching Rescue.

In my Tech / Cave training this has been discussed and suggested that we attempted to try the cave diver tow from about 200' from the sign.
It was much easier to discuss than to perform it on a 6'4 dive buddy!
When it was his turn I had to be the vic, I came to understand we all need to practice rescue techniques.

It was far more difficult than my REC Rescue coarse.
There will be plenty of things in the future that will need to be addressed.
For another SM or BM diver it is going to be easier to recognize the rigging but in the REC world this could be a big issue.
Knowing where pinch releases are and chest straps the how to get you outs of a rig can be a tall order for anyone.
Let's just admit that you might have the same SM harness but be far from uniformity if comparing 6 divers.
Am I arguing for some standardization? Not sure but I am certain it will come up eventually.

Sm is developing into various aspects of REC diving and still being case specific in the Tech realm.
Possibly a REC standardization for OW is in order to help with the Rescue issues.
Just tossing these ideas out there!
Now that PADI is on the scene I am sure that they are working on it even now.
I am not trying to pick a fight but just saying!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[rongoodman]

Would it be more practical to just focus on getting the tanks off, at least initially? I can't think of any reason to try getting me out of my Razor in the initial stages of a rescue, and if you needed to, a couple of swipes with the Eazy Cut on my shoulder strap would do the trick.